picky

[ pik-ee ]

adjective

, pick·i·er, pick·i·est.

1. extremely fussy or finicky, usually over trifles.

picky

/ ˈpɪkɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   fussy; finicky; choosy

Derived Forms

• ˈpickily, adverb
• ˈpickiness, noun

Other Words From

• picki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of picky¹

First recorded in 1865–70; pick ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

At the end of the day, survival is about calories, so I hope you’re not picky!

From Popular-Science

Stink bait, a sharp hook, and a strand of 550 core line might just land you a catfish or some other “non-picky” eater.

From Popular-Science

Males also got shot down a lot, as picky females appear largely unmoved by most of their showmanship.

From Science News

We work in Adobe Premiere for video editing, but we are not picky about editing software.

From FiveThirtyEight

Don’t be picky about who is getting it and don’t try to evaluate need or fine-tune quantities.

From Freakonomics

Were you being extra picky in the wake of Twilight because you knew you were under the microscope?

From The Daily Beast

Surveys may portray us as picky, but in reality our foodie culture is thriving as never before.

From The Daily Beast

“Those kids are starting to be of legal drinking age,” McMahan says of once-fussy eaters who he hopes remain picky drinkers, too.

From The Daily Beast

He was extremely picky about what he ate and insisted that foods be arranged in a particular order on his plate.

From The Daily Beast

Historically speaking, the first picky eaters were ancient doctors and religious leaders.

From The Daily Beast

His appetite is more picky-and-choosy than it used to be; and by these signs I can tell something is on his mind a-preying.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course, fwoonk and pwink and tweelt and kroosh sounded alike to them, but let's don't be too picky about things.

From Project Gutenberg

"My dear Picky, it had to come," said Booverman, with a shrug of his shoulders.

From Project Gutenberg

This is the end of all things, Picky, the saddest spot on earth.

From Project Gutenberg